Lafayette Municipal Airport was first opened in 1930 and mainly served as an airmail location and for privatized purposes. It end up with commercial services as well, but all that changed when the United States Army Air Forces took over the airport during World War II and used it as a pilot training field. In 1945, less than a month after the official end of World War II, the airport was handed back to the City & Parish of Lafayette for the low price of one dollar.

The first regularly schedule commercial flights started in 1948. The rest, as they say, is history. The airport has seen the typical expansion and renovation projects over the decades and is very optimistic about its future, planning to overtake some of the more major airports in the area and possibly become the busiest in the state. To do so the airport is going to need a major boost in the coming years. Serving less than half a million passengers a year won’t cut it.

Lafayette Regional Airport Car Rentals…

As it stands right now, airport passengers are able to choose from six nationally renowned car rental companies when they land. All six counters are located around the baggage claim area of the main terminal, separated next to each other like a row of hotel front-desks. The name of each company can be seen via a sign behind its respective counter. The six you’ll see are Alamo, Avis, Budget, Hertz, Enterprise, and National. Should any changes occur, you’ll have the easiest time locating the counters by consulting one of the many directories strategically placed throughout the terminal or asking a nearby employee for assistance.

Standard pick-up protocol at the moment is to direct you to your vehicle’s location out in the rental lot after handing you the keys. The rental lots are all situated right out in front of the terminal. Simply walk out of the front of the main exit/entrance and the rental car lot will be closest to the terminal – on the left side. The right side is reserved for short-term parking. When walk to the car rental parking area, you will notice that the rental car signage is painted on the asphalt. Find your vehicle and you’re good to go.

Lafayette Airport Directions to Lafayette Downtown…

Lafayette is the fourth largest city in the state and continues to increase steadily. There are dozens of small towns surrounding the city that make for a large, spread-out metropolitan-esque area. Upon leaving car rental lot, you will have to taxi around in front of the terminal to get out of the airport area. As you circle around past the terminal, soon you will come to Blue Blvd. Turn left and drive for about ¼ of a mile, then turn left on Surrey St at the light. The road will soon turn into E University Ave and you will simply drive into the heart of the town.

Restaurants Near the Lafayette Airport…

If you’re looking for an interesting, albeit a little pricey, you might take a look at Jolie’s Bistro on 507 W Pinhook Rd (turn left on Pinhook about a mile after the stoplight turning onto E University Ave. – the restaurant is a red building on the left hand side). The eatery serves some unusual food and concentrates on local ingredients, creating a Creole menu that is pretty tasty, by most accounts.

Lafayette Airport Car Rental Return...

There are three gas stations located along E University Ave (our favorite is the Shell on the left just after crossing the bridge), four along the Evangeline Thruway that will also take you to Surrey St, and numerous other choices located throughout the gridded area just west of the airport. Refueling won’t be much of an issue. You can either use a GPS system to find a gas station you want or go exploring for a little bit until you find something with an appealing price. By the time your vacation is over, unless it was incredibly short, you should know about how far your rental can go with a full tank before the meter drops below the “F”.

Future Plans for Lafayette Regional Airport…

Over the last five years the airport has spent more than thirty million dollars on improvement. Next year, in 2013, it is planning to spend another twenty-three million. What is it doing with all the money? The runway is getting expanded, the security is being upgrade to a state-of-the-art system, the carpet is being completely redone, and much more. The airport is even seriously considering creating an entirely new terminal from scratch after all the recent renovation plans for the old airport are complete. So I suggest you be weary of changes occurring from the time you’ve read this article to the time you visit the airport.

Other Car Rental Options at Lafayette Regional Airport…

This is one of those areas where having a worthwhile GPS system is crucial. Everything is spread-out rather extensively and gridded enough to make it easy to get lost. If you do get lost, you’re probably going to end up quite a ways from your actual destination and waste a lot of money in gas. All six companies offer their own satellite GPS systems. I suggest you grab one. It’ll save you a lot of money in the long run.

Cars available at the airport include all of the basics that you would expect at the airport. These include economy cars, luxury cars, SUV’s, and vans too. Use our booking engine above and see what comes up. Finally, we want to thank you for visiting our site. Come back any time!